32-33 Acting Up
Assistant Editor Sarah Barney
Students take flight in politics.
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oung voters have historically had the lowest participation during elections. However, this does not mean that all young voters are silent. Stockbridge hosts its own outspoken left-wing and right-wing students who care about political causes and elections. On the conservative side, students came together and formed Stockbridge Students for Life, an anti-abortion group. The group was formed in April 2014 by senior Madeline Battle. The students involved have participated in the annual March for Life rally and held meetings throughout the school year. “I joined Stockbridge Students for Life because I wanted to get involved and learn how to be an activist for causes I care about,” Cesar Rodriguez 12 said. “I care about the pro-life cause because I believe everyone has a right to live. I want our next president to be John Kasich. He gets to the point and doesn’t make fun of people like some of the other Republican candidates.” On the left wing of politics, senior Hannah Kightlinger hoped to vote for senator Bernie Sanders in the upcoming presidential election should he win in the primaries. “I feel like Sanders pushes for more change and that’s why I want him to win,” Kightlinger said. “I disagree with a few things he’s for, but we mostly share the same views. I like that he stands for the younger generation’s voice. Other candidates don’t seem to focus on the issues we find important. I also like that he’s coming into office with a different perspective on politics as a whole. What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working, so he gives the American people something to hope for.” Kightlinger, as well as other Stockbridge students, attended a rally for Bernie Sanders on March 2 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. One of the other students in attendance was sophomore Kelly Cool, who wanted to learn more about Sanders’ plans and beliefs. “I was a fan already, but I wanted to educate myself more,” Cool said. “I think it’s very important to get information on politics because as soon as you get out of high school you’re going to be voting, and you should know what the candidates believe in. I really liked most of the points Bernie Sanders talked about; although, there were a few I didn’t agree with.” Cool was not the only one who felt getting information was important. “I think it’s essential to know what’s going on in your country,” Kightlinger said. “Some people don’t even know what taxes are or why they’re paying them. This is where you live; it’s your life.”
GIFT OF LIFE Talking into a loudspeaker, senior Madeline Battle voices her opinion on abortion at the 40 Days for Life kick-off rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Battle, the founder of Stockbridge Students for Life, spoke about how she thinks abortion hurts women and how women should value the gift of giving life to another human being. FEEL THE BERN Often found behind the lens of a camera, Hannah Kightlinger 12 photographs crowds gathering in the Breslin Center for a Bernie Sanders rally. The event gathered over 10,000 people, mostly young adults, to listen to the Democratic nominee’s speech. PHOTO BY SARAH BARNEY 11
Job No.: 017722 School Name: Stockbridge
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52 MINUTES Painting Melanie Bouck 11’s face white, Olivia Roberts 12 participates in a project to raise awareness of drunk driving. The project culminated in an assembly where the white faces represented the people who die in one week from drunk driving accidents.
INVOLVED With a case of water bottles gripped firmly, NHS member Poppy Cox 11 helps unload collected water from the back of a van. The bottles were just some of the 2,062 that NHS members collected for the people of Flint, Michigan and delivered in February.
EAGER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Students use various mediums to get behind causes.
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espite a belief that Millennials are lazy and self-centered, many teens participate in activism. The students at Stockbridge are no exception. The causes, varying from social issues to emergency relief, have captivated the attention of local students. Junior Emma Lockhart participated in online activism with a Facebook page she made called “Social Justice Warriors.” The page featured photos taken by Lockhart of 7th-12th graders from Stockbridge. The students, ranging in age and gender,
would hold a sign that expressed their beliefs on various topics: feminism, birth control, stereotypes, race and body positivity. The page did not last long. “I had to shut the page down because I was getting harassed by people I didn’t even know,” Lockhart said. “I haven’t done any more projects since then, but I still feel the topics are important. Body positivity, for instance, is important because everyone deserves the right to feel special and love their body.” Students in NHS found a cause to care about in the plight of Flint, Michigan.
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The city, located an hour away, faced severe consequences after changing its municipal water source to the Flint River in 2014. The corrosive Flint River water caused lead to leach from old pipes into the water residents used. As a result, somewhere between 6,000 and 12,000 children were found to have severely high levels of lead in their blood and the water was all but usable. “It’s very sad that the government let that happen,” Taylor Machette 12 said. “I think it can be resolved though because people want to help. As NHS members, it
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was important to help out because we’re supposed to value others and have an urge to help. It’s our duty.” The members of NHS were quick to put together a plan to help. They met during lunch times in the room of their adviser, Pam Gower FA, and figured out how they were going to assist Flint. “Our branch of NHS is going to be collecting water from around the community. We are also going to be selling felt pins with ‘Flint’ written on them,” Machette said. “It will be nice to make a difference, even from a small town.”
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Faith Whitt 10 Jacob Hudson 11
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School Name: Stockbridge
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